Operations Manager

Firecrest Aerospace is a U.S. aerospace propulsion company headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, with manufacturing operations being established in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As a subsidiary of CSE USA, Inc., a member of CSG Group, Firecrest develops and manufactures advanced micro turbojet and turbofan engines for defense, aerospace, and other high-performance applications, supporting U.S. government, allied, and commercial customers.

The company is investing approximately $15 million to establish its initial U.S. manufacturing facility in Stevens Point, where it expects to create approximately 125 high-skilled manufacturing, engineering, and technical positions. As Firecrest expands from engine assembly, integration, and testing into full-scale manufacturing, engineering, and advanced product development, it is helping strengthen the U.S. aerospace and defense industrial base while advancing next-generation propulsion technologies.

At Firecrest Aerospace, you will have the opportunity to work alongside a growing team committed to engineering excellence, innovation, and mission success. Whether your expertise is in manufacturing, engineering, quality, operations, or business functions, you will play a direct role in building advanced propulsion systems that support critical national security and aerospace missions.

The Operations Manager will play a critical role in establishing, stabilizing, and scaling operations for a small turbine engine assembly and test facility. This role will initially function as an individual contributor, working closely with the VP of Propulsion Operations (located remotely) to stand up processes, systems, and infrastructure during the early phase of site development.

In Phase 1, the Operations Manager will work in tight coordination with the Quality Manager and Engineering Manager to build the foundational operations framework. As the organization transitions into production (Phases 2 and
3), the role evolves into a leadership position reporting to the on-site Plant Manager, with responsibility for supervising key operational functions including assembly, test, planning, maintenance, EHS&E, and facility security.

This position requires a hands-on leader capable of building operational excellence from the ground up and scaling production through defined maturity phases—from New Product Introduction (NPI) to full-rate production—in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment.

This role is explicitly accountable for scaling operations across three phases:

• Establish foundational assembly and test processes to support New Product Introduction (NPI)
• Develop initial work instructions, tooling strategies, and test readiness plans
• Partner with engineering to resolve design-for-manufacturability and testability gaps
• Stand up early production systems with a focus on process stability, defect identification, and variation management
• Begin tracking baseline production metrics (yield, cycle time, throughput)

• Transition from prototype builds to repeatable, controlled production
• Build and lead the initial operations team (supervisors, planners, support functions)
• Primary scaling lever:
  Improve First Pass Yield (FPY)
• Identify and eliminate sources of rework and scrap
• Implement root cause corrective action (RCCA) processes
• Drive process standardization and operator training
• Establish stable production cadence and predictable output
• Implement production planning, scheduling, and material flow systems
• Ensure compliance with safety, quality, and security standards including NIST 800-171

• Scale from stable low-rate production to optimized, high-throughput operations
• Expand organizational structure and leadership depth
• Primary scaling lever:
  Improve Takt Time and Flow Efficiency (after FPY is stabilized)
• Reduce cycle time and eliminate bottlenecks
• Balance…